Rick Bozich: Give Rutgers Big East edge, put Cards 6th

Not a single Big East Conference team is listed at shorter odds than 60-1 to win the Bowl Championship Series title, according to one Las Vegas Web site. Don't be shocked if only one Big East team is ranked in the initial Associated Press college football Top 25 poll.

Could the league be blanked from the Top 25?

Absolutely.

I've seen four teams - Rutgers, Pittsburgh, South Florida and West Virginia - picked to win the conference. That's dismissing Cincinnati. That is the same treatment the Bearcats got in 2008, and they played in the Orange Bowl. Cincinnati returns its quarterback, top three running backs and best receiver.

I mention all this because Tuesday is Big East football media day in Newport, R.I. Predictions will be filed. Forecasts will be made. Debates will ignite.

I've proved many times that I can be just as wrong as any other writer or coach. So in a league dealing with parity, transition and mediocrity (choose the word that fits), I'm prepared to project the conference race, from 8 to 1.

8. Syracuse. Greg Paulus, a player who threw 152 touchdown passes in high school, is transitioning from Duke point guard to Syracuse quarterback. Unfortunately, he's not bringing Gerald Henderson, Nolan Smith and Mike Krzyzewski with him.

7. Connecticut. Donald Brown, the league's best runner, is gone. So is cornerback Darius Butler, a second-round pick by the Patriots. Ditto for quarterback Tyler Lorenzen.

Randy Edsall is an underrated coach. His teams win with defense and by forcing turnovers. But the Huskies scored 13 or fewer points a half-dozen times last season - and that was with Brown, the Colts' first-round pick.

6. Louisville. The Cardinals have been a consensus pick for seventh in every magazine I've purchased. That's understandable. They're working on a five-game losing streak. Regardless of which guy Steve Kragthorpe starts at quarterback, he will be unproven. Questions abound on both lines.

No program in the league has been kicked as vigorously as this one. Kragthorpe knows what is at stake - and that his program needs to kick back.

5. Cincinnati. Yes, Tony Pike is a 61 percent passer. Yes, the Bearcats' top three returning backs all averaged at least 4.4 yards per carry. Yes, Brian Kelly has been named Big East Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.

But the Bearcats' defense has undergone more turnover than the UofL coaching staff. Eleven of the top 13 tacklers are gone, including the top five. Ouch.

4. Pittsburgh. Some people love the Panthers. Especially the defense, which is packed with playmakers.

But Dave Wannstedt's teams usually find a way to burp. LeSean McCoy is gone at tailback, and the two returning quarterbacks had 10 touchdowns and 14 picks.

3. South Florida. This should be the best program in the Big East nearly every season. Best recruiting turf. Superb home field. A coach (Jim Leavitt) starting his 13th season. A senior quarterback (Matt Grothe) who has started since he was a freshman.

The Bulls have trouble with expectations - and cold weather.

2. West Virginia. If Kragthorpe will be the league's most scrutinized coach, the Mountaineers' Bill Stewart is also battling for acceptance after losing four games last season, tumbling to 23rd in the final AP poll.

Stewart has a halfback (Noel Devine), quarterback (Jarrett Brown) and multiple returnees from the league's best defense to stop the howling.

1. Rutgers. This is a vote for Greg Schiano's coaching ability. And for a team returning five starters on the offensive line. And for a team that gets Syracuse, UConn and U of L on the road and the four primary contenders in New Jersey.

Reach Rick Bozich at (502) 582-4650 or rbozich@courier-journal.com. Comment on this column, and read his blog and previous columns, at www.courier-journal.com/bozich.

Louisville, Kentucky • Southern Indiana

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Rick Bozich: Give Rutgers Big East edge, put Cards 6th

Not a single Big East Conference team is listed at shorter odds than 60-1 to win the Bowl Championship Series title, according to one Las Vegas Web site. Don't be shocked if only one Big East team is